The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2014, and October 31, 2015, are automatically nominated for the 2015 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on October 23, 2015, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.

KIRKUS REVIEW

Three independent, partly cumulative illustrated minitales—none of which features a hedgehog.

All three do offer a chance to assemble a simply drawn cartoon figure from fanciful elements, following directions that appear in succession and are (optionally, and in English or Portuguese) read with great expression. Viewers spoon strawberry jam into an old coffee pot, light candles beneath, add corn kernels and—voilà! “Volcano Coffee Pot.” Likewise, a banana that is peeled, then topped with an apricot rimmed by almonds becomes a “Banana Flower.” “Daisy Girl” is the best and most complex—it requires not only dragging items from one spot to another, but shaking and blowing on the tablet to create and then feed a charming lass with flowers for eyes, feather-duster hair and a crescent-moon smile. Viewers unsure about what to do next can tap a corner button for a pop-up visual prompt. Each episode can be started over at any point, but there is no manual paging in either direction. Furthermore, though performing the indicated action makes one scene change to the next, performing it too soon will cut the text and narration short.

Still a bobble or two in the design, but an engaging imagination stretcher. (iPad play app. 4-6)

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